VGCC honors graduates of Basic Law Enforcement Training night class
Three Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) cadets at Vance-Granville Community College graduated on June 18 after having completed the program at night and on the weekends over a ten-month period. Members of what was the first night BLET class held since 2001 were honored in a ceremony in the auditorium on VGCC’s main campus in Vance County. After passing the state certification exam, all three are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina.
Graduates of the evening class — which was VGCC’s 91st BLET class overall — were Dale Thomas Bowen of the Roxboro Police Department, Rayndall Vincent Bass and Michael David Hart.
Tony Pendergrass, the VGCC coordinator of law enforcement training, praised the men for their persistence and dedication as they worked full-time during the day and then trained at night. The demanding 624-hour training program is typically completed on a daytime schedule over 16 weeks during either the fall or spring semester at the college. Pendergrass also thanked the instructors who helped train the class, the local sheriffs, chiefs of police and administrators who support the program, and the families and friends who supported and encouraged the students.
BLET students chose Capt. Glen Boyd of the Oxford Police Department and Agent Tony Mills of N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement to be their guest speakers. Boyd called the graduates “the cream of the crop” who were prepared to be “multi-taskers” as law enforcement officers. Mills added that “at VGCC, you have received the best training the state of North Carolina has to offer.” He encouraged them to continue gaining education and training. “None of you were just average students, so be more than average law enforcement officers,” he told the cadets. Thomas Bowen spoke on behalf of his fellow graduates and described the program as “an intense experience.” He praised the BLET instructors for providing a wealth of real-world expertise. “Thank you for your passion, enthusiasm and dedication,” Bowen said to Pendergrass, VGCC law enforcement/corrections instructor Greg Hughes, Boyd, Mills and other part-time instructors.
Boyd and Mills formally presented certificates to the graduates. Pendergrass handed out awards to the top students in the class in three categories. Bowen won both the “Top Gun” Award for having the highest accuracy score in weapons firing, and the Physical Training Award for scoring highest in the various fitness tests the cadets undergo. Hart received the Academic Achievement Award for having the top grade average in the 35 written tests each cadet must take and pass. For more information on the BLET program , contact Tony Pendergrass .
Above: Graduates of Vance-Granville Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Class 91 included, from left: Rayndall Bass, Thomas Bowen and Michael Hart, with law enforcement training coordinator Tony Pendergrass. (VGCC Photo)
